Like their neighbors, Maui firefighters are devastated by the loss of their homes and community.
Yet, they continue to do their jobs.
Veteran firefighters Aina Kohler and Jonny Varona, a married couple, are among 19 responders who lost their homes.
Kohler, who was on duty, knew it was only a matter of time as the wildfire raged out of control.
“You can see it from the road and I would check on it every time we drove by and it held up for a while, until I was like oh yep there it went.”
Kohler told a KITV reporter their home was one of the last to burn down. "We were way out of water..."
Kohler also witnessed two of her fellow firefighters lose their homes.
“They watched their homes burn as they fought the fire for other homes in their neighborhood,” she explained. “That hit really hard. I was like ‘Oh my god. You guys just watched your house burn down.”
Kohler stuck to her mission to save lives, even as her house burned to the ground.
“It was super hot, and we had to hide behind the engine. A house would flash and it would just be a big black cloud coming at you. I’ve never experienced anything like that so for me, I thought a few times well here we go I hope this isn’t it."
Though her family lost everything including their home, their surf school business, coffee shop, and a 45-year-old boat build by her dad, Kohler’s grateful her family is safe, and she has a job to go back to.
Her husband was quick to add: “...We’re not doing anything heroic. We’re doing our job and we’re doing it for the town that we live in and the town she grew up in.”
Hawaii Firefighters Association President Bobby Lee told ABC: "They're there to help people. Regardless of how difficult the job is, they're going to just continue to push forward and keep going, helping everybody. That's what we do."
An IAFF team is on Maui assisting in any way possible.
In a statement, General Secretar-Treasurer Frank Lima said: “The devastation that our Hawaii sisters and brothers have experienced is incredible. Many have lost everything. But even as their own homes were in danger and burning, our members remained on duty to protect their community..."
They are offering mental health support as they understand that firefighters are being pushed beyond the limit as the search for victims continues.
